DEGANZ Watch List: Features & Unscripted & Shorts, Oh My!

Here’s the latest work from DEGANZ members! There are features, unscripted projects, and a short film in the mix this time.

Feature film Kōkā, edited by DEGANZ members Te Rurehe Paki, is out in local cinemas following its Matariki weekend premiere.

Also in the feature space, the trailer for Pike River offers the first glimpse into the highly anticipated film directed by Robert Sarkies (DEGANZ) and edited by Peter Roberts (DEGANZ).

Fellow member James Fink-Jensen‘s short film The Balloon is also available to watch on his production company’s Vimeo.

In the factual space, check out Mind Menders, co-directed by Peter Day (DEGANZ), and The Casketeers: Life and Death Around the Globe with DEGANZ member Vea Mafile’o as Field Director.

Kōkā

Feature Film

Editor: Te Rurehe Paki

Māori elder Hamo and local delinquent Jo form an unlikely bond on a road trip. As they confront past traumas and each face their demons, their shared path becomes a journey of healing, community and reconciliation.

Mind Menders

Documentary

Co-Director: Peter Day

In this two-part documentary, Sonia Gray – a long-time advocate for normalising conversation around mental health who has bravely shared her own struggles with anxiety – goes on a mind-altering journey to find out if psychedelics could be the answer to New Zealand’s on-going mental health and addiction crisis.

Pike River – Official Trailer

Feature Film Trailer

The first peak into this high anticipated local feature film is out!

Pike River, directed by DEGANZ member Robert Sarkies and edited by fellow member Peter Roberts, starring Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcom, follows two women who lose their loved ones in the 2010 Pike River Mine explosion and become leading voices in the families’ fight for truth and accountability.

The Balloon

Short Film

Writer, Director and Editor: James Fink-Jensen

On her birthday, an earnest, young girl discovers unexpected solace when her mother seemingly fails to make any plans.

The Casketeers: Life and Death Around the Globe

Factual Series

Field Director: Vea Mafile’o

Beloved funeral directors, husband-and-wife team Francis and Kaiora Tipene, embark on a new travel odyssey, witnessing life and death traditions from Tonga, Japan, India and more.

Last updated on 26 June 2025